The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) is a 25-meter optical/near-infrared
telescope to be located at Las Campanas, Chile. The GMT primary mirror
is comprised of seven borosilicate 8.4-meter segments, and the secondary
contains seven (~1-meter) fast-steering segments aligned to each of the
primary mirrors. The first of the primary mirrors has been cast at the
Steward Observatory Mirror Laboratory, and it is currently undergoing
polishing and testing. Several instrument concepts have been developed
covering the wavelength range from the UV/optical to the thermal
infrared. The project is in a detailed Design Development Phase. The
Science Working Group has identified several areas where the GMT will
have an impact. These include: 1) the nature of dark matter and dark
energy, 2) the first stars and galaxies, 3) star and planet formation, 4)
the evolution of galaxies, and 5) the growth of black holes. Unique
capabilities of the GMT include wide-field (~10-arcminute FOV)
spectroscopy and the direct detection of exoplanets. The GMT is a
consortium of research institutions consisting of Australia Astronomy
Limited, the Australian National University, the Carnegie Institution of
Washington, Harvard University, Korea Astronomy and Space Sciences
Institute, Texas A&M University, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory,
the University of Arizona, and the University of Texas at Austin.